Global Compact on Education, 2022 Fraternity Campaign and the Educational Apostolate: links, foundations and praxis

Abstract

For the third time, the Fraternity Campaign approaches the problematics of education as its central theme: Fraternity and Education, whose focus was the theme of the previous campaigns – 1992 and 1998. Historically, the Church has always expressed privileged ways and forms of fulfilling its evangelizing mission through the educational world. Thus, in view of such commitment, this article aims to articulate the foundations and purposes of Pope Francis' thinking, based on the Global Compact on Education, with the objectives of the 2022 Fraternity Campaign and the Educational Apostolate. Following a qualitative approach, we opted methodologically for the procedures of literature review and documentary analysis about the foundations that underlie the Global Compact on Education, the Fraternity Campaign and those supporting the implementation of the Educational Apostolate. We start off, therefore, from the premise that we find ourselves in a unique and valuable context to foster, strengthen and structure the Church's ecclesial and pastoral action in the educational world, through the Educational Apostolate. Hence, we conclude that the Educational Apostolate is constituted as possibility, instrument, seed and beacon for ecclesial and pastoral praxis and action, mobilizing educators, including those who are already engaged, and strengthening educational and pastoral processes inside and outside the Church, since the educational compact presupposes the Church Which Goes Forth: the establishment of the culture of encounter, of the Church’s integration with other segments and agencies that work in the educational world and to strengthen her in the perspective of complete and solidary human formation, with the human person at the center of the process.